The Birds and the Bees: The Unwanted Sequel

Bridget tapped lightly several times on the den door before turning the knob. Life with a teenage son had taught her long ago to never walk right into his room. Opening the door, she peeked in and saw Sean on the pullout bed, chuckling to himself as he placed a book down next to him.

"Hi, buddy! You having a good time?' the mother asked, closing the door behind her. Moving forward, she placed her cell phone down on the small end table and pulled over the desk chair.

"Oh, hi, Mom. Just finishing the epilogue of this novel that Mr. Stratton lent me," Sean explained, partly holding the book up. Noticing the tiny, black robe, he assumed that she was about to head to bed.

"Did it end with a tawdry sex scene?" Bridget inquired with a knowing grin.

"No, it set up the next book with Jack Steed's little sister, Jade, showing up, and announcing that she would be his new PI. I get the idea that she's the prodigal--wait, what did you say?" Sean questioned after her words finally registered.

"I know all about Clive's trashy novels," Sean's mom revealed.

"You do?!"

"Sure. Clive thinks that Rachel doesn't know. She does."

"Oh, no."

"It's not a big deal. Rachel finds them hilarious. She skims them and tells us girls all about them at our wine nights," Bridget explained with a big grin.

"Mrs. Stratton isn't mad at what's...in them?"

"Clive witnesses the worst in people at his job. If he wants to read ridiculous, sex-filled novels in his free time, then his wife is all for it," Bridget stated, wondering what Sean would think of the next novels in the Jack Steed series. They get even more risqué. "Your grandfather did a similar thing with..."

"What did Grandpa do?" Sean inquired after his mother trailed off.

"Well, that's his secret stress reliever," Bridget replied before glancing over to the empty leather chair. "Newt head off to bed?"

"Mr. Stratton noticed he had fallen asleep," Sean said with a nod. "Told him it was time to pack it in for the night."

"Clive stopped in here?"

"Uh, yeah, he wanted to say goodnight." Sean paused in embarrassment. "And let me know how proud he is of me."

Bridget's wide smile warmed her son's heart. He hadn't seen that happy of a look on her face in a long time.

"We're all proud of you, honey. Rachel told me earlier that she and Clive feel terrible that they hardly ever see you these days. I'm sorry to admit that I didn't notice. Your sister and I see the Strattons all the time, but you don't come with us over there like you did when you were younger," Bridget admitted, feeling guilty. "You've always seemed fine by yourself or hanging out with JoJo and Newt."

"I am!"

"But Rachel and Clive miss you. I think I just might need to drag my injured son to our next wine night over there. The local hero would make a fine guest," Bridget teased with a mischievous smirk.

"Great. As if I don't feel embarrassed enough."

"If you're embarrassed now, just wait until your grandparents see you tomorrow night. Brandy said that while Grandma is worried sick, she could hear the pride in Grandpa's voice."

"Aww, Grandma's going to dote over me, isn't she?" Sean whined.

"You betcha, and she won't be the only one," his mom warned, ruffling his hair. Her next line came with a wink. "I bet a lot of younger ladies will be thrilled to pamper Whitney Diamond's rescuer."

"Mom!"

"Son!"

"Very funny," Sean replied, not finding her mocking him at all funny. "I don't want to deal with girls tomorrow night."

"Don't give me that glum face. It's New Year's Eve. The whole point for a single eighteen-year-old on that night is to hook up with a little hottie."

"I am not looking to hook up with anyone tomorrow night!"

"After saving Whitney, I doubt that you'll need to try at all." Bridget saw his shaking head and the hands over his ears. Tugging one away, she continued, "Tomorrow night is Cassie's big night. At least make her happy by getting a blowjob or handjob."

"Jesus, Mom!" Sean bellowed, moving further up the headboard while shaking his head incredulously. "That's--that's just wrong!"

"Yeah, you're right. That's more Tinny's thing rather than Cassie's. She was always the good one," Bridget rolled her eyes while joyfully dancing her head side-to-side. "Hmm, Tinny will probably expect one of Whitney's friend's to screw you, despite your foot. And she'll want to hear all about it when I call her. It's a cheerleader thing."

"Yuck! Just fricking yuck!" Sean knew his Mom could be rather open when talking about sex with Peyton. At least in a clinical way as it was her job, but her previous talks with him had been all about safe sex. This conversation had gone in a whole different direction. "Have you been drinking wine?"

"Not recently," his mom replied, shrugging.

"This...talk is over. I'm not looking to hook up with anyone tomorrow night or anytime soon," Sean vowed vehemently.

With an exaggerated sigh, Bridget's face showed disappointment. "That's what I'm afraid of, honey."

"Wait, you're upset that I DON'T want to screw around with a random girl?" Sean brought his clenched hands up to the side of his head in frustration. "This is so messed up."

"No, what's messed up is moping for years over the same girl. Or in your case: two girls," Bridget hissed angrily. "I can understand your crush on Lana. She's older, always over at the house, and she developed early. You add in the rest of her looks and how she flaunts her sexuality, Lana's a walking wet dream to her best friend's younger brother."

"Oh, gawd. We are not having this conversation," Sean muttered in despair.

"We are, and it's time we had it," his mother stated firmly. "But with Ramsey--"

"I know! I'm an idiot! I get that, so you can leave me alone."

"You're not an idiot. You're a teenage boy that lacks confidence at times. Almost all boys are like that," Bridget assured him with a pat on his knee. "Am I mad at Ramsey for not knowing your name? A little. But I'm also a little mad at you for not making sure she knew who you were."

"I'm a pussy, I know," Sean mumbled, immediately regretting his language. However, his mother ignored him and kept on talking.

"I get it. I really do. You saw her the last time we gathered here and found her pretty. Perhaps if you went to the same junior high school, then things might have been different. Instead, you built her up in your head, and when you finally had opportunities at the start of high school, you froze up. Too worried over screwing up the perfect fantasy in your head."

"How do you know all this?" Sean questioned in disbelief. It's like Mom can read minds!

"I'm your mother. I know," Bridget declared, eyes narrowing in a way that frightened her son. "Not to mention, I've been the girl in this situation. Now, that doesn't matter. What does matter is that you had two and a half years to make your move and never did. It's time to move on."

"It's not like that, Mom. Ramsey had a boyfriend for almost half that time," Sean reminded her.

"So? What's her boyfriend have to do with you?"

"Wha-what?!"

"So what if Ramsey had a boyfriend. That doesn't mean she can't find a better one," Bridget pointed out.

Sean waited for his mother to laugh and reveal she'd been joking, but that never came. "Micah's a nice guy, Mom. I would never try and steal his girlfriend from him."

"Sean, honey, I'm not talking about trying and failing," Bridget remarked with a legitimate sigh this time. "I've met Micah Taft enough times to know he's a nice kid. Nothing like his older brother. But just because he claimed Ramsey first doesn't mean he gets to keep her. You're the better man."

"B-but, that's wrong."

"I'm not talking about stealing a wife away from her husband. I'm talking about high school romances, Sean. If you think you're better for him and want the guy more, then go after him."

"Uh, him? Whoa! Did you steal..." Sean couldn't finish the unfathomable question.

"I never stole another girl's boyfriend. Not technically. Well, maybe that one time, but I only borrowed him. Look, that's not the point. We're talking about going after who you want. In my senior year, Gemma Harlow, my so-called archrival, tried to claim McCoy Quarry first. I knew that Coy--"

"Coy?! Your boyfriend from senior year? That Coy?!"

"Yes. Now, Coy's father had that dumb sports rule about not dating during the football season. So both Gemma and myself sort of circled around him during the season. But then Coy broke his hand in the first playoff game. Even though we won that game, I knew Gemma would make her move at that weekend's Halloween party. She wanted to get her hooks into him before we lost the next game, as everyone assumed. Now you know what girls like to do on Halloween, right?"

"Uh, no."

"We like to dress really sexy or even slutty. It's the perfect excuse to do so once a year. And I knew Gemma would go all-out. So I made it a competition. Everything between the cheer and dance squads is a competition. And as we were the two captains, it felt important to girls on each squad. So I pulled out all the stops. I changed up my costume at the last minute to make sure I looked fucking hot. So hot that Coy had to choose me. Now, don't get me wrong; Gemma had her dancer's body with a great pair of tits. But I know these girls are better," Bridget said, hefting her robe-covered breasts up. "And while we both had reputations for being adventurous between the sheets, I let him know that I could be open to almost anything."

Sean had wanted to cringe when his mom cupped her boobs. Instead, he sat there, frozen in stunned silence. Should he vomit or throw the blanket over his head in horror? I knew Mom's friends could be wild. I heard the talk here and there, so I guessed she was too. But...holy shit! Mom could act like that? She did that?

"Then, at the party, I threw a changeup. I showed myself off to Coy, but I wasn't going to chase after him like Gemma. No, I gave him an ultimatum. I wasn't going to play the waiting game any longer. If he didn't choose me by midnight, then his chances of ever being with me would turn into a pumpkin. Needless to say, we ended up in a bedroom before midnight," Bridget finished. "So, two and a half years is enough. You're done yearning for Ramsey. Starting tomorrow night, my son is going to start having fun."

"I have fun!" Sean defended, finding his voice as anger filled him. He didn't like the way his Mom suddenly talked down at him.

"Not the good kind, Sean. You need to have the kind of fun my friends and I had." Then, seeing his face turn red at her tone, she softened her voice. "Look, honey, you remind me of Cassie sometimes. And I love that about you. But even she would give in and let loose a few times with us. It's time to experience high school--no, wait before you argue. Okay?"

"Okay."

"You and Peyton are both similar and different in this area. Both of you take after your father too much here." Sean's face showed doubt and discomfort over the comparison to his father. "The big difference is while you're too worried about rejection, Peyton is frightened over what will happen if she lets her control go. She's heard my old stories and many of Brandy's. She's too much like Beverly. Lana is there to loosen her up sometimes, but you don't have a friend like that."

"Are you blaming JoJo and Newt?" Sean challenged. His anger rose in defense of his best friends.

A tight, thin smile appeared for a brief second on Bridget's face. There's the Fallon in him.

"Not at all. JoJo's blossoming on this trip. Maybe too much, too fast." I wonder how freaked out he'd get if he knew what JoJo and his mom did together. "No, what I'm saying is that you need to be the fun one of your trio."

"Just because I don't steal girlfriends away from good people doesn't mean I'm not having a good time," Sean defended indignantly.

"One? Right, just one?"

"One what?" Sean asked in confusion.

"The number of girls you've slept with," Bridget replied.

"The number of--no, this talk is over. I'm doing this with my mom," Sean proclaimed, waving his hands. She does not need to know about Aunt Gabby.

"I like Beyza. She was a good first girlfriend for you. Not as wild as her mother, but she had that fire inside her. A good girl to keep you on your toes while allowing herself to be passionate," Bridget listed the qualities she liked about Sean's only real girlfriend. "You screwed up a good thing with her. However, I hope you learned your lesson about taking your girlfriend for granted. If you did, then it was worth it. If not, then you need a good kick in the ass."

"I know, Mom, I know. Beyza didn't deserve how I treated her," Sean's fire dipped in its intensity. "My next girlfriend will see that."

"Now, let's not start talking about your next girlfriend yet."

"But, isn't that--"

"No, you're not listening to what I've said. Starting tomorrow night, I want you to embrace having fun without any strings attached. You have only a semester left until graduation and then a summer filled with parties before you head off to college. It's time to sow your proverbial oats."

"Y-you want me to...screw around," Sean whispered the last two words.

"That's exactly what I want you to do," his mother said with a sharp nod and smirk.

"I can't do that. It's not me. I wouldn't even know where or how to begin," Sean protested, hoping his mom would drop the ludicrous idea.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Whitney reminds me a lot of myself at her age. She'll have girls in mind for you."

Whitney's like Mom?! I did not need to hear or think that!

"This...plan....is very...overwhelming," Sean tried to respond diplomatically. He cringed at his Mom's plans and the way she talked about them, but he could also see that she really felt he needed to try.

"I knew it would be for you. That's why I felt I should bring this up now. I had an...epiphany earlier while soaking in the bathtub." Sean didn't notice that his mom blushed slightly. "Now, you don't need to stress over this at all. I'm sure Whitney will take care of any first steps. There's no reason to be worried."

"Whitney scares me."

"Oh! Well, yeah, I guess I can see how she might," Bridget agreed. "But she shouldn't. Just picture that she's me at that age."

"That's not going to help either." Sean hurriedly shook his head side-to-side. That'd be even more fucked up.

"Well, I don't know--wait!" Bridget's face brightened up once again as she reached for her cell phone. Flicking the screen to life, she swiftly scrolled down to a list. "I believe we have the perfect primer here for your potential playmates."

"Play--forget it, whatever," Sean muttered in exasperation. "So, what's that?"

"Rachel sent this over last night. She thought it might be a nice distraction for you after your day." Bridget turned the phone to flash the screen at him for a brief moment.

"Is that the list?" Sean gulped in fear. "The list she and Aunt Gabby were going to make?"

"It is, and she put a lot of work into thinking up possible girlfriends for you," Bridget confirmed, shaking her head as she scrolled down the list. "There must be thirty-five or forty names on here."

"Oh, gawd," Sean groaned, sliding back down lower onto the bed.

"It's not too bad. At least a third of these names have a note: Ask Lacey. I'm assuming these are girls at your school that Rachel doesn't know well. I certainly don't," Bridget revealed. "Cordelia Vandermeer's daughter, Cheyenne Tissle, is on here. As are several other daughters of my old classmates."

"Lacey didn't help with that list. At least not yet," Sean informed his mom. "She was helping me with Ramsey."

"And she's not going to help anytime soon. Lacey's a matchmaker, and this was a potential girlfriend list. I don't want you dating one girl yet."

"Why can't I have normal parents?" Sean asked himself, covering his face with his hands.

"You'll thank me someday, buster. Wait until you find that special girl at college and wow her with your skills," Bridget promised confidently.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll love that. Hey, I learned to do that with my tongue because my mom pimped me out my senior year."

"Hmm, let's see," Bridget murmured, ignoring his comment as she scanned the list. Damn, Rachel put a lot of thought into these names. Compatibility factor? Yeah, okay. She definitely didn't consider that when she met Clive. She only cared that he was hot. "It seems like several girls high on the list that she rejected include Ramsey, for obvious reasons, and Aurora Rusk."

"Rory?"

"It's too bad that Austin is a dick. She partly reminds me of Miranda. Oh, and here's the list of girls rejected as 'too wild' or 'too bitchy.' Now, that's what I'm talking about. Hmm, Caterina Quill? Too soon for you. Kaitlin Beal? On-and-off-again college boyfriend. Yes, that's too much drama for you right now. Lux Chaumont? Too self-centered. Hazel Tarte? Too much a schemer."

"Whoa, Mrs. Stratton isn't pulling any punches on there," Sean commented, suddenly interested in seeing the list and reaching out for the phone. Bridget quickly motioned for him to put his hand back.

"The 'highest potential' section seems filled with smart, good girls that like to read. Yep, Rachel knows my boy. She's got Paige Noble, Heidi Ceet, Polly Gettinger, and Jessalyn Granmeyer. Not a bad list if I wanted you to get locked down already."

"That's not a bad list," Sean remarked, perking up. He imagined that Ramsey had been on that list until yesterday's disappointment. "Who's Mrs. Stratton's favorite pick?"

"Ah, let's not worry about that name," Bridget said, her eyes widening at the name. "She's got her reasons blank for now. Let's focus on who I think is better for you right now. Ooh! This one in the top five is interesting."

"Who?" Sean asked, attempting to see the screen again.

"Daisy Kirby. She's that girl on The Buzzy Bee, right? The one Fawn's mentoring?" Bridget waited for Sean's nod. "Hmm, yeah, she's got that hot librarian look down like Fawn."

"Uh, but Daisy's been dating Evan..." Sean trailed off because of his mother's glare. "Uh, right, boyfriends don't matter."

"You're starting to learn," Bridget remarked, clucking her tongue in contemplation as she scanned more of the list. "Yumi Nakano? That's an interesting possibility."

"Yumi? She only moved here last summer, so I don't know her well. She's in a few classes with me, but she seems a little ditzy."

"Her family might have only moved back here last summer, but I knew her mom growing up. Felicity was far more of an airhead than Yumi, who I hear got some of her dad's book smarts. She's a lovely-looking young woman, but she might be too sweet for this purpose."

"I don't know if she knows who I am, either."

"Don't you worry about that. Your name will be ringing out around school after saving Whitney," Bridget blew off his concern with a wave of her hand. "Now, I'd prefer a cheerleader for you, but I'm far enough removed from high school that I'd be okay with you and a Sugarbee. You'll find the skills, agility, and stamina for either squad between the sheets can't be matched."

"Eww, Mom!"

"Rosita Veliz might interest you. She's similar to Beyza in appearance, and I think her personality is too," Bridget speculated.

"Uh, no. Rosita's a lot wilder than Beyza. She's got, um, a reputation."

"Excellent! Let's keep her high on your list."

"List? I don't have a list. I don't want a list," Sean insisted.

"Hush. Now, here's a wildcard if there was ever a wildcard. Bianca Zuccaro."

"Mrs. Stratton has Bianca on her list?!"

"Yes, she does."

"But their families hate each other!"

"You should know by now that Rachel doesn't take the rivalry all that serious. Wow, Rachel's quite detailed about Bianca's faults. However, she thinks the girl would be a good choice to **** you out of your comfort zone and vice versa for Bianca. That's a very intriguing idea. Keep an eye on her tomorrow night."

"Bianca's your choice for me?!"

"Oh, not at all. For your safer choice, I'm going with Delilah O'Dell. She's friendly, outgoing, and one hell of a dancer. Shayla is such a sweetheart, but she could be down to fuck. I get those vibes from her daughter. What do you think of Lilah?"

This far into the conversation, Sean barely flinched at the "down to fuck" comment. Instead, he had other concerns over Delilah.

"Delilah's pretty awesome, and we get along great. But--"

"I don't want to hear any buts, Sean. That's unless you need advice about putting it up her bu--"

"Seriously, Mom, stop!"

"Oh, I miss teasing you, honey. You're so much more fun to do it to than Peyton. I don't know why I ever gave it up."

"Maybe because you want to be a good mother," Sean grumbled. "The problem with Delilah is that she's good friends with Beyza. I don't want to hurt her any more than I have. And doing whatever it is that you want with her friend will hurt Beyza."

"You have a good heart, honey." Bridget squeezed his forearm in affection. "I could suggest maybe all three of you makeup in bed, but I won't tease you anymore tonight."

"Good. So we're done?" Sean inquired, hoping the answer would be yes.

"Nope. One more name to go. Now, if Delilah was my preferred safe choice, then my preferred risky choice is Sienna Thirlby," Bridget revealed.

"And embarrass me for the third time? She already shot me down the last two proms when I asked her. I felt humiliated and ready to die when she loudly said no," Sean shuddered at the two memories. "The second time was the most embarrassing moment of my life. I felt stupid for thinking it might work that time."

"Even more embarrassed than Ramsey thinking your name was John?" Bridget questioned.

"Low blow, Mom. And...I don't know. Ramsey might be worse as it hurt more, but Sienna's was in front of a lot of people. I looked like a fool."

"I don't think you were a fool, honey. Sela wasn't as stuck-up as her daughter, but she wasn't much better. And if a guy came back a year later and asked again, I wouldn't see him as a fool but as courageous. You knew how it would likely go but still took a shot. That's the Sean I want to see from now on. Not the version that romanticizes a girl and won't make his move."

"I don't know why Sienna's answer would change a third time. No, don't bring up the rescuer crap again. She's too in her own little world to care about that."

"Nothing wrong with trying a final time, Sean. I guarantee you if she mocks you, people won't laugh at you. They'll be mad at her for treating a hero so poorly."

"I don't know if I can try a third time. Is that it for the list?"

"With Rachel's list? It is. However, since I have a different goal in mind for you, I think we need to consider the daughters of Cassie's old friends and classmates that will be in town for the charity ball."

"You want me to have a fling with a girl from out of town?" Sean shouldn't be surprised after all his mother's suggestions, but he was with this one.

"Why not? It seems to have worked for JoJo and Jared." Bridget pointed out. "Aurora might not be an option because of her brother, but Miranda's nieces are good-looking. And a plus is that they are from a town near Arbor Corners. You could set up possible dates for next year. Cookie Keeble lives there, and her daughter will turn eighteen next fall. If you want a pure one-night stand, then some older girls will be around and likely willing. Addison Craft's stepdaughter is a doll. And I know you've checked out Lauren Caputo's daughters the last couple of times you saw them."

"I...I'm tired, Mom. Can I just go to bed?"

"Of course, my little hero," Bridget teased him with a big grin while ruffling his hair again. "Do you need to use the bathroom first? No? Okay, then I'll get your new pill."

Sean took the different painkiller and washed it down with water from his bottle. He reassured his mom that he was fine. She countered by promising that several people had volunteered to check on him throughout the night.

Walking toward the door, Bridget turned back as she gently opened it a crack. "Think about what I said, okay? I want you to be open-minded and not look back later on life with regrets. I worry enough in that area with Peyton. All I can do is hope that Lana drags her, kicking and screaming into a good time."